Update to my previous post where I spent a few days to dig up the parts for this set I got in the late 80s or early 90s from my parents.
It was super fun to build because of the challenge; there are only 24 steps in its construction. So many of the steps are multi part where you need to look at the picture and figure it out. I made a few mistakes and had to back track.
The car has working steering, 3 gear transmission and neutral, an engine with working pistons as you push it around, adjustable seats, headlights that flip up and down, and independent suspension!
Fun times. My family is marveling at it, and my boys love how different it is to modern technics.
Highly recommend trying to get your hands on one to put together.
That's a classic awesome set. I only ever had two technic sets. The first was the smaller version of what you have, so the only technic ability was steering. Then later I got a fork lift track that used air pneumatics to operate the lifting forks at the front.
Then I got annoyed as my mum chucked it all in the big box my other "normal" Lego was in, and I wanted to keep them separate.
However, I remember using those really long single stud red beams to build the chassis for an ECTO1 I built. They were often the base for my larger builds.
Man, I remember that forklift set - I didn't end up getting any of the pneumatic stuff, but it's so cool.
Mixing up sets with our general Lego was one of my mom's specialities and how 8865 disappeared in the first place.
I'm considering which of my childhood sets to attempt a resurrection from my tubs of Lego next - pirate or castle (I think Knight's Castle is in there), or there was a fire station with a garage door, a raceway with a bunch of cars, I also vaguely remember a Shell gas station.